About the Dayton Raiders Swim Team

In 1979, the Dayton (Ohio) Raiders Swim Club was established as a result of the merger between the original Dayton Dolphins, formed in 1956 by Coach Mac Preston, and the Raider Athletic Department at Wright State University.  The Raider program has established itself as a very successful USA-Swimming club in the Midwest. On ten occasions, its coaches have been awarded Ohio Coach of the Year, as well as USA Junior National Coach of the Year. The team consistently places near the top at both Ohio Senior & Age Championships, several times holding the title of large team Ohio Champions.  The Raider program is regularly represented at Sectional, Futures, Junior and Senior National Championships and hundreds of swimmers competed at the Ohio High School State Championships and Olympic Trials.

How to Join - this page is under the "Swim Team" menu

Dayton Dolphins "Early Years" Memoirs 1956-1963 (PDF) - a trip down memory lane and history of Dayton swimming

The Dayton Raiders program offers the best coach/swimmer ratio and best lane space per swimmer in the region.  We are the only owners of a full service aquatic facility, which translates into establishing pool time around our most coveted people -- swimmers!  We offer numerous training groups for children of all ages, abilities, and flexibility for our members' desires.  Many of our training groups have no practice or swim meet requirements.  Our younger swimmers are involved in multiple activities throughout the season; and we encourage our swimmers to become well-rounded student-athletes.  The program is staffed by highly educated and skilled coaches.  We are certain you’ll be impressed with our award-winning instruction that provides your child with some of the finest aquatics instruction found anywhere!  If you have any questions, contact us by selecting the "Contact Us"  link and one of our staff will contact you.  We are usually at or near maximum capacity in all of our training groups, so please be patient while our coaches work with you to evaluate your swimmer’s current ability and find placement in the most appropriate training group.

What Makes the Raider Program Your #1 Choice:

• Low swimmer average per lane; more space = efficient use of time
• Athlete/Coach ratio: Age Group 10:1, Senior 15:1 (or better)
• Highly motivating instruction: every day, every practice!
• Award-winning coaches!
• No practice requirements for younger aged swimmers!
• No meet requirements!
• On-line stats, times tracking, communication, e-mail updates, and more
• Log in to the website and enter swim meets or check your account 24 hours a day

Recent Accomplishments by Raider Swimmers:

• Three-time USA-Swimming Gold Medal Swim Team 2012, 2016, 2019 (Top 20 out of 3,000 USA Clubs)
• Sixteen (16) athletes USA Olympic Trials
• Numerous male / female athletes have placed at International, National and at State competitions
• Six (6) athletes on the USA Junior National Team
• Several have won athlete performer of the year at the Ohio HS State Meet
• Many Age-Group Male/ Female Swimmer of the Meet at Ohio Junior Olympics
• Numerous Ohio Age Group and Senior Champions
• Three National Age Group Records and one American Record
• Numerous Ohio Records broken in all age groups
• Multiple Large Team State Championship Titles

Many swimmers have continued their careers on the intercollegiate level on swimming and academic scholarships. Recently schools such as Harvard, Princeton, South Carolina, Louisville, Kansas, Houston, Denison, Buffalo, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Southern California, Clemson, UNC Chapel Hill, Purdue, Miami University, NC State, Eastern Michigan, Kentucky, U.S. Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy at West Point, Ohio University, Rice, Georgia, Indiana, Cincinnati, Wright State University, and others.

Today, the Dayton Raider Swim Team has over 200 swimmers, ranging in ability from beginners to Senior National level athletes. These swimmers hail from more than twenty area cities in the Greater Dayton Area, reaching as far south as Wilmington and Middletown, as far north as Troy and as far east as Springfield. Over a third of these swimmers represent their high schools at the Ohio Sectional, District and State level.  Our progressive group advancement program allows for swimmers to continually improve their level of performance from age group to senior level to avoid "swimmers’ plateau".

The Dayton Raiders Swim Club is dedicated to providing the area youth with a year-round opportunity to train and to participate in the sport of swimming. The organization is designed to allow its swimmers to achieve their full potential, by providing swimmers with high quality coaching in a structured setting. The Dayton Raider program insures that this instruction is provided through the employment of both full-time and part-time coaches with exceptional coaching skills in a structured setting. Our staff is consistently asked to attend national seminars, work USA national and local swim camps and to coach/participate at zone events.

The Dayton Raiders emphasize a detailed and focused technique-based program for all groups. Our coaches implement a program that teaches balance, core development, propulsion, technique, starts, and turns. Age group swimmers (12-unders) are provided with critical instruction in these areas that is the foundation for success at the teenage and senior level (13-14 and 15-over). Our coaches have set up a program that avoids the common trap felt by many athletes in this sport - "early plateau" by young children that compromises long term desire, motivation, and opportunity for improvement throughout the young and adult lives.  As a result, the Dayton Raiders have one of the highest continual improvement and retention rates in the country.  We strongly feel that swimming is a long-term sport where development at the age group level strongly influences performance at the senior level. For swimmers who intend to make swimming a career choice, our coaches develop monthly, seasonal, 3-year cycle, and career plans that allow swimmers to reach full potential at the high school and collegiate level. Swimmers are introduced to the latest and most effective techniques available anywhere in the world. Our coaches are highly educated, experienced coaches that attend national and international coaching clinics annually.

When a young person becomes a member of the Dayton Raider Swim Club he/she learns the values of sportsmanship and team work. Swimming, though The Dayton Raider Swim Club, provides physical, emotional and intellectual skills that will last a lifetime.